Milk-bottle-cap remover



Oct. 1, 1929. I c. LILE 1,729,620

MILK BOTTLE CAP REMOVER Filed Feb. 28, 1927 MAMA/roe:

CLA BEA/C5 4/4.:-

Patented @lct. 1, i929 CLARENCE LILE, OF GRANITE GETY, ILLINOIS MILK-BOTTLE-CAP REMOVER Application filed February 28. 1927. Serial No. 171,565.

My invention has relation to llllPlOVGBlQIltS in milk bottle cap removers and consists of the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claim.

It is a matter of common knowledge that the paper caps of milk bottles are pressed down tightly on an annular shoulder in the mouth of the bottle and are diflicultto remove without spilling the mill: or cream when the bottle is full. Various spears or picks are in use at the present time for removing milk bottle caps but their use is more or less attended with liability of injury should the point be misdirected.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a cap remover that embodies a guide operating in conjunction with the prong that pierces the cap whereby the cap is sure to be pierced; it is a further object of my improved cap remover to securely hold the cap after it has been removed from the bottle in such a way that the device may be laid on the table without the cap contacting with the cloth; a further object of the invention is to provide a cap remover that will hold the cap in position so that the same may readily be replaced upon the bottle; further and other advantages will be better apparent from a detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cap remover being applied to a milk bottle cap, only the top of the bottle being shown; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the cap remover after the same has been manipulated so as to lift the cap from its seat at the mouth of the bottle; and Fig. 3 is a top plan of the cap remover and bottle.

Referring to the drawings, B represents a milk bottle having the usual annular shoulder a in the mouth 6 for the reception of a cap a It is the practice to provide caps of such size that when pressed into the mouth 7) and against the shoulder a, they will be held tightly in place by the friction against the walls of the mouth in order to form an adequate seal. Therefore, it is diflicult to remove a cap from a bottle by prying under the edge of the cap, the cap generally being re moved by piercing it with some sharp object and prying it from its seat on the shoulder a.

My improved cap remover is bent from a suitable length of wire 1, a loop 2 being formed at the bottom end of the device, the inside of the loop being open as shown at 3. The wire is then bent outwardly from the open end of the loop to form lateral members 4, 4, each of which is V-shaped, the lateral members being brought together at th e handle 5 which is formed by components 6, 6 and a component 6. The component 6 is a continuation of a loop '4' formed at the outer end of the handle 5 and terrinates in a do nwardly projecting prong 8, said prong being lnclined forwardly and having sl" cavity at 8 just below a bump 9 formed. at the base of the prong. The components 6, 6 and 6 are held in juxtaposed relation by ametallic wrapper 10 which is tightly wrapped around said components, and component 6 which terminates adjacent the loop 7 is slightly bent outwardly at ll, and the wrapper notched (as shown at 12) to receive said bent extremity of the component 6, thereby locking the wrapper in place on the shank components and forming a substantial handle.

in operation, the handle is firmly grasped and the device is brought down on top of the milk bottle as shown dotted Fig. 1.511 which operation the loop 2 strikes the periphery of the bottle mouth 3) and serves as a guide for the operation of piercing the cap which is now done by rocking the device downwardly to a horizontal position (shown in Fig. 1). After the cap is pierced, the lk bottle remover is pushed forwardly the top of the bottle, and, when a position has clination of the prong 8.

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cap reaches the concavity 8 i will have been entirely removed "from the mouth of the bottle. The holder may now be laid aside in an inverted pos' 'iion, leaving the cap in place on the prong where it will be firmly held or clamped. between the and the lateral members 4:, slide oil, nor can the cap come in contact with 1 0 the table cloth when the holder is placed upside down. The cap may readily be replaced on the bottle by reversing the operations just described; that is, the holder with the cap is placed over the mouth of the bottle, the holder withdrawn from the cap, the mouth of the bottle serving as an abutment for the cap in this operation, and as the holder is withdrawn in a horizontal plane over the top of the bottle, the cap will be forced downwardly into position by the prong 8 and again caused to firmly seat on the annular flange (1. If the cap does not readily slide downwardly at the beginning of the operation of replacing it, the forefinger may be pressed lightly against it at the space between the lateral members 4, 4.

It is thus seen that I have provided a milk bottle cap remover that is easily and safely operated and that serves to hold the cap in a position that the cap may easily be replaced on the bottle.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A device for removing caps from milk bottles comprising a wire guide frame, a handle, a loop on the end of the handle opposite to the frame, all in a common plane, and a prong disposed between the sides of said frame, said prong having a hump at its base and a concavity adjacent thereto for limiting the action of the prong, said handle being formed by extending the sides of the frame and arranging said sides in juxtaposition and the prong consisting of an extension of the loop on the end of the handle.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CLARENCE LILE. 

